•Duo to miss today’s Serie A clashes

Italian doctors are currently working on the Super Eagles duo of Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen who recently starred for Nigeria at the just concluded African Cup of Nations.

It was gathered that Ademola Lookman will miss Atalanta’s Serie A game against Sassuolo today because of an injury.

Lookman was one of the best players at the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire. He scored three goals to help Nigeria to the final of the competition, where they lost to hosts Cote d’Ivoire. Lookman also made the official squad of the tournament.

The 26-year-old forward returned to Atlanta on Wednesday to link up with the team as they push for European football in the Serie A.

However, in a new development, Lookman would have to wait a little before returning to action for Atalanta.

According to Alfredo Pedulla, Lookman is suffering from a sprained ankle, which he sustained in the AFCON final. Atalanta are yet to reveal the extent of Lookman’s injury, but he will not be available for selection against Sassuolo today.

After Sassuolo, Atalanta’s next game is against AC Milan next Sunday, and the medical team will be working hard to ensure Lookman is fit for the tie.

Before he left for the AFCON, Lookman registered seven goals and three assists for Atalanta.

Meanwhile, Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri has stated that he would have to talk to Osimhen during training to determine his availability for the club’s Serie A game against Genoa this weekend.

Osimhen returned to Napoli late after his exploits with Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they finished second after painfully losing to Cote d’Ivoire in the final.

The former Lille star was supposed to return to Napoli on Thursday morning, but he missed his flight and eventually returned to Italy on Thursday night.

The 25-year-old striker was expected to return to training on Friday ahead of Napoli’s game against Genoa on today. Ahead of the game, Napoli boss Mazzarri has stated that he is unsure of Osimhen’s availability.

“As soon as he arrives this afternoon for training, I will speak to him to understand how he is and whether he can make himself available for the match. It’s in doubt because, in the last game (against Cote d’Ivoire), he was pulled to pieces,” Mazzarri said per Pazzidifanta.

Osimhen would have to be assessed by the Napoli medical team to ascertain his fitness. As it stands, the likely outcome is for him to start from the bench. Nevertheless, he should be fine to play for Napoli in the UEFA Champions League next week. (Saturday Sun)

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